Parolee/gunman Justin D. Jones, 29, surrendered to MNPD SWAT officers this afternoon following an hours-long standoff during which he fired multiple shots from an apartment in the Sudekum public housing complex. One of his rounds struck Hermitage Precinct Officer Gerry Hutcheson, an 18-year police department veteran, in the shoulder. The bullet did not penetrate his skin and was noticed by another officer lodged in Hutcheson’s jacket.

Officers responded to the public housing area after receiving a report of a man firing a gun in the presence of a child. Surveillance video showed Jones firing shots into the ground near a dumpster outside while interacting with his 11-year-old daughter. Those actions were apparently the continuation of an earlier domestic argument. After firing the shots, Jones went back into the apartment. He refused police commands to come out and continued shooting. At one point, a member of the SWAT team returned fire from outside the apartment.

After more than three hours of no contact with Jones, the police department removed the locked screen door from the apartment and was preparing to deploy a robot to determine what Jones was doing. Before the robot could enter, SWAT officers detected movement in the apartment. Jones was given commands to surrender. He complied.

“Justin Jones posed a real and reckless danger to the citizens who live in the Sudekum-Napier neighborhood as well as our police officers,” Chief Steve Anderson said. “All of us on the Metro and federal levels are committed to the safety of the families who live in that community and will continue to dedicate resources to the area that reflect our commitment.”

Jones has three prior robbery convictions, one in Nashville and two in Ohio. He was paroled in Ohio in 2016 and is on supervised release until 2021. Records reflect that his parole was transferred from Ohio to Mississippi. It is unclear how long he had been in the Nashville area.

An arrest warrant charging Jones with felony aggravated assault has been issued for shooting in the presence of his daughter this morning. It is expected that the United States Attorney’s Office and the ATF will be charging Jones with federal offenses for his actions today.